Surplex is developing VR tracking shoes to track human body movements, eliminating the need for additional sensors to track movements.
Currently in the process of a Kickstarter campaign, the Surplex VR full-body tracking shoes
are claimed to be compatible with SteamVR-compatible headsets, communicating with gaming PCs via Wi-Fi.
The shoes
are designed for a number of applications, clocking in with a thickness of 1mm. The
shoes use more than 480 flexible pressure sensors under each foot, as well as deep learning
algorithms to correctly infer 3D human skeletons. Each shoe is also equipped with an inertial
measurement unit (IMU) sensor to estimate the shoe’s angle.
These features are used to provide realistic
simulated movements to connect virtual experiences with the real world.
The shoes feature a nine
hour battery life and could be used in medical applications to read pressure information and other
kinetic data, enabling customised development and use in scenarios for athlete performance analysis and rehabilitation analysis.